<<There is one restraining factor though, for both 401k's and IRAs, and that is, the greater the number of people who use them the greater the outcry if congress were to exercise their penchant for more green. This fact may end up being what keeps these programs intact, especially if many of our elected officials are taking advantage of them too. Anybody know any statistics here?I had a friend in college who didn't trust the govt either and kept his funds post tax for that very reason.>>

It's a factor that weighs heavily in how Congress decides. Keep in mind, though, they can approach the taxation indirectly. A flat tax or national sales tax is one way. Another is tying tax benefits to AGI to reduce eligibility for deductions. They could say as an example that Roth income won't be taxed but will be counted in AGI to see if you fall outside some arbitrary limit for something else that may cause a reduction in taxes. They play those games all the times.